FSF Publishes New Quick Guide on GPLv3
The quick guide gives a short and understandable explanation of the objectives of version 3 of the GPL; recent discussions on GPLv3 had caused many developers to forget the generic purpose of the license – guaranteeing the freedom of software development.
The document briefly recapitulates what the General Public License (GPL) aims to achieve. The author goes on to explain the changes between versions 2 and 3 of the GPL, and the motivations behind the changes citing three threats to freedom. One of them is tivoization, named after the Tivo digital video recorder that contains GPL’d software but prevents users from modifying the GPL programs by validating a digital signature. The other two threats that led to changes in the GPL are Digital Rights Management and Microsoft’s patent covenenant. The author also refers to interfaces to other licenses. The author of the Quick Guide, Brett Smith from the Free Software Foundation (FSF), has posted the guide on the FSF announce mailing list.
The changes introduced by GPLv3 include new compatibilities to other licenses, as shown by the graphic from the Quick Guide.
The Open Source community can view the text as an impetus to understand the GPL as an opportunity rather than a bone of contention or a threat. Brett’s short, informal announcement closes with the words: "We hope this serves as a useful resource for developers considering adopting GPLv3 for their own projects." Shortly afterwards a senior Red Hat developer commented: "Excellent job, Brett."
The guide is available online, or as a PDF document, and as a zipped tarball in text only format. According to GNU's Who Brett Smith has been with the Free Software Foundation since 2002, and has worked as the Chief Webmaster and Shipping Manager, before becoming the "licensing guru" at the FSF’s licensing and compliance lab which provides “the public with a "knowledge infrastructure" surrounding the GNU GPL and free software licensing, and enforcing the license on FSF-copyrighted software.”
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.